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Rare Horror Games for PlayStation 2

The PS2 is a great system for playing horror games, as it's home to a lot of great titles like the "Resident Evil" and "Silent Hill" series. The system also has some really good horror games that are a bit more obscure, but are every bit as good as the big names. Most of these titles originate in Japan, so to fully understand some of the more rare ones, a working knowledge of Japanese is recommended, but there are also some rare games that got English translations that were never released in large quantities and can be difficult to find.

"Gregory Horror Show" (2003)
- This creepy game is based on a Japanese children's cartoon and sees your character (male or female depending on your preference) trapped inside a haunted hotel. The only means of ever leaving is by collecting the souls of the damned that wander the halls of the hotel and giving them to the Grim Reaper himself. With a "mental gauge," which can cause your character to become insane if it is depleted, and a whole host of maladies like headaches and tiredness that can impact your gameplay, this is not a title for the faint of heart. The game had a limited release, which can make it hard to find, but with scores like 8 out of 10 from GameCritics, it is well worth it.
"Kuon" (2004)
- "Kuon" is a horror title that takes place in the Heiankyo period of Japanese history and is set inside a haunted mansion. Players get to select one of two woman to play as and must investigate the mysteries of the mansion while trying to stay alive. Enemies in this game consist of cursed undead monsters, and besides evading or destroying them, players also need to solve puzzles in order to progress through the storyline. "Kuon" is quite a rare title and can be hard to track down, and while it isn't one of the best horror games, it can still provide some entertainment for fans of the genre. Just note that this game was not a big-budget release, and the graphics look very dated compared to other more high-profile PS2 horror games. The game received a score of 71 out of 100 from "Play" magazine UK, but scored lower with other publications like "Eurogamer," which only awarded it a 4 out of 10.
"Haunting Ground" (2005)
- This rare title is about a girl named Fiona Belli, who wakes up in a castle filled with puzzles and monsters. The castle is hiding a variety of secrets, but along the way Fiona will find a Shepard dog that she befriends and who helps her out. Fiona has no weapons, which makes the game even more tense while Fiona hides from her pursuers. This game can be hard to track down, but is worth it and has received generally favorable reviews in the gaming press. "PSE" magazine gave it a score of 8.8 out of 10 and the Just Adventure webzine graded it with a score of a B-. If you prefer suspense and spookiness to action and combat, then give "Haunting Ground" a try.
"Rule Of Rose" (2006)
- Set in the 1930s, "Rule Of Rose" is a disturbing horror title that puts you in the shoes of a young orphan girl called Jennifer. Taken to the Rose Garden Orphanage, which is located in a very remote area of the English countryside, Jennifer is kidnapped by a resident gang of children who calls themselves the "Aristocracy of the Red Crayon." Threatened with punishment unless she can find precious gifts for the Aristocracy, Jennifer must scour locations with the help of a canine companion, all while fending off bloodthirsty monsters. There was some controversy concerning the content of this game, which led to it never being released by Sony Of America. A company called Atlus then decided to take on the task of publishing the game in the states, but it is still quite rare. The game has received mostly average scores, with highs including a 73 out of 100 by the Gaming Trend webside and lows like 3 out of 10 by "Edge" magazine UK.

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